


Better Next Time

by doublejoint



Category: Fire Emblem Heroes
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-19
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-14 22:34:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29549379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doublejoint/pseuds/doublejoint
Summary: This is what falling in love is supposed to feel like.
Relationships: Anna/Sharon | Sharena
Comments: 6
Kudos: 5
Collections: February Ficlet Challenge 2021: Apocalypse No





	Better Next Time

**Author's Note:**

> For Day 18 of the February Ficlet Challenge: Hail

Joining the Order of Heroes results in Sharena doing quite a lot of things for the first time. First time raising her lance in a real battle, first time travelling so far without one of her parents, first time working alongside this many people. Every day there’s something new; every day there are new people to meet. Sharena loves it. 

It’s difficult, though; she’s not used to getting this much of a workout or thinking on her feet quite so much. She’s not used to battles, mounted colleagues charging on horses and wyverns and pegasi, a crowded field, constant danger and vigilance. Alfonse pretends he is, but he’s so serious to begin with, so overly-prepared; for all that he is hard on himself, sometimes Sharena thinks she should take a leaf from his book. But no one in the Askran army tells her to; it’s something she has to do on her own as she catches up, and Sharena appreciates that. Maybe it helps that there are so many others of varied experience levels, and who would rather not be compared to their siblings. 

And Sharena is terrible at setting up tents. The first few times, someone helps her; the next few, no one goes near her and they’re all set up long before Sharena’s halfway done. She thinks she might finally have the hang of things, but then they stop when the sky turns an ominous grey but they could still march for another few hours.

“The Emblans won’t be gaining much ground in this weather,” Commander Anna says. “Not the way the wind is blowing.”

The first hailstone, the size of a small pebble, stings Sharena’s cheek as she’s driven her second stake into the ground. She looks up, and a second falls on her nose. She shivers; it’s cold. The tent. She needs it more than ever. 

By the time the tent is up, the hail has turned to rain and Sharena’s clothes are soaked through. Her pack is water-resistant enough, and the inside of the tent has stayed relatively dry, good enough for her to feel physically okay once she’s in dry clothes with a lantern on. The tent flap opens; Commander Anna is outside under an umbrella.

“Come in,” Sharena says.

“You okay?” Anna says. 

Sharena nods. “I’m sorry it still takes me so long to set up.”

“Not a problem,” says Anna. “As long as you didn’t break something that will cost money to replace. Or get hurt.”

Sharena shakes her head. “Even though I haven’t been helpful?”

(It’s not Anna’s job to reassure her or stroke her ego. Sharena almost winces at her own words.)

“No one is when they start out,” says Anna. “Just do better next time.”

She pats Sharena’s wet hair, and Sharena does feel a little better.

* * *

Tiki stares, puzzled, at the tent poles in her hands. “I’m afraid I don’t understand.”

“It’s super easy once you get the hang of it,” Sharena says. “Here, let me show you.”

She snaps the poles in her own hands into place and looks expectantly at Tiki. Tiki tries, but she’s too tentative; Sharena knows she’s got much more physical strength than that.

“Won’t I break it?”

“You’ll be fine,” says Sharena.

Tiki pushes, a little harder, and the poles snap into place. Tiki looks surprised and--perhaps, happy? It’s difficult for Sharena to tell with her.

She’s a quick learner, though; she and Sharena have the tent up in no time before Sharena goes on to put up her own. She still can’t do it as fast as Alfonse can, but she’s much better than she used to be, and she’d probably even be able to manage in rain and hail without getting totally soaked again.

“Good job,” Anna says when she passes, noting both Tiki’s tent and Sharena’s, nearly complete (Tiki would probably like to hear it, too, but she’s asleep in her tent already). 

Sharena’s about to turn back to her poles and make sure they’re all set up correctly, when she sees Anna smile at her, and her stomach drops straight to the ground. If there were anything in her hands, she would have probably dropped it. Anna’s smiled at her before, but this is different, and this is just what falling in love is supposed to feel like. Sharena just didn’t know it would be quite so sudden, quite so much like this.

* * *

Alfonse spends the morning of the Day of Devotion festival watching the other versions of himself from afar, but after much hinting on Sharena’s part, he finally goes over to talk with them. Sharena is glad of it, mostly because it’s Alfonse and he’d regret it if he didn’t. But she also doesn’t need to worry about leaving him to worry alone, or giving him the slip so she can go and see Anna herself. 

She’s not hard to find, arguing the prices on her dubious homemade chocolates and flowers she’d clearly picked from the nearby gardens, but she waves when she sees Sharena and seems to be happy despite still having plenty of merchandise available.

“Oh, they’ll be back,” she says. “People hate putting in the work, and I’ve taken care of that much for them. Once they realize they don’t want to find the perfect flowers themselves they’ll come racing back to plant their money down.”

“Isn’t the Day of Devotion about the devotion and work you put in?” Sharena says.

Anna purses her lips. “Theoretically. But not everyone’s a romantic.”

Sharena frowns. 

“Aww, come on,” says Anna. “They’re still putting in something. And the Order really needs the money.”

They do. Sharena adjusts her grip on the bouquet of flowers in her arms, different specimens than the ones on Anna’s table.

“That’s a nice bouquet you’ve got.”

“It’s for you,” Sharena says, thrusting it out. “”Because you’re a wonderful friend and commander.”

That’s not all, but even like this, it’s difficult to make herself say the words she wants to--she is both too much of and not enough of a romantic. Anna’s hand brushes hers as she takes the bouquet.

“Just that?”

She could be teasing, but Sharena takes it as an invitation.

“Yes, actually, I...I, uh, feelings! I have romantic feelings. For you. Commander.”

Anna does not look as surprised as Sharena had thought she might. Sharena’s face grows hotter. Is this a good thing? A bad thing?

“Me too,” Anna says, “Though I’d prefer money as a gift.”

“That’s not in the spirit of the festivities,” says Sharena, but Anna is still holding the flowers close to her chest.

When she gives Sharena a kiss, leaning over the table and nearly squishing her own merchandise--perhaps in return, perhaps non-transactional (or as non-transactional as Anna ever gets)--Sharena decides to let that lack of spirit go, anyway. Anna gets it enough, after all.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
